2016 Summer Arctic Trip

After a breakfast of French toast and bacon, topped with blueberry syrup (Latin name: Vaccinium Uliganosum), we braved the wind and rain on an exploration hike to a new site. By the time that we got there, most of our supposedly waterproof jackets were soaked through. The rain got collected in the top of my hip-waders and flowed into my boots, creating a sizable puddle in my boots. Luke and I distracted ourselves from the wind and cold as we probed by belting out songs from the musical Hamilton. Despite the weather, we managed to finish the site and keep our spirits high. Cold and tired, we walked into camp and were greeted with warm soup, Kraft Dinner, and some hot cheese biscuits.

Feeling thawed and replenished, Jill Larkin, a Parks Canada Resource Management Officer, gave a presentation about the over population of Lesser Snow Geese and the damage that they are doing to the vegetation in the tundra. This presentation initiated a discussion about how to prevent the impending disaster of losing this beautiful tundra. She also gave us some survival tips and described some of her incredible stories about spending the night in the wild.

Following this discussion, we actually had the chance to eat some goose. We had a full arctic dinner consisting of goose, fish, veggies, bannock and an amazing wild rice dish. That really completed the Nester One tundra vibe.

We ended off the day with a visit to the arctic fox den the is right outside of the fence. We walked out, staring at the beautiful sun set, the sky was glowing the most fascinating pink and orange. The foxes were also happy to be out in the sunset after a day cooped up in their den. As we stood there, two of the fox pups started jumping on each other and rolling around. Watching the pups playing was entrancing and a great image to go to sleep with.

What a day it has been, it only makes me more excited for the days to come.